CANADIAN DESIGNERS ABROAD: THOMAS TAIT, LVMH WINNER 2014, ONE YEAR LATER

LVMH Unveils Shortlist for Prize

By Kate Abnett 20 February, 2015

See the full list of twenty-six designers shortlisted for the second annual LVMH Prize, the winner of which will receive €300,000 and a year-long mentorship.

LONDON, United Kingdom — Today, BoF can reveal the names of twenty-six designers shortlisted for the second annual LVMH Prize, an award set up in 2014 that grants a young fashion designer €300,000 and a year of mentorship from executives at the luxury conglomerate.

The shortlist, compiled below, contains designers from the main four fashion capitals, including Craig Green, Jacquemus, Marques Almeida, Agi & Sam, Ryan Roche and Arthur Arbesser, as well as candidates from Belgium (Devon Halfnight Leflufy), Ukraine (Anton Belinskiy) and Denmark (Astrid Andersen). In total, 10 countries are represented, differentiating the LVMH Prize, which casts a global net for design talent, from awards such as NewGen, ANDAM and the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, which aim to support designers in specific geographies…

SADLY, NO CANADIANS THIS YEAR, BUT, SOME INFO ON CANADIAN DESIGNER ABROAD, THOMAS TAIT,!

The contenders will each be hoping to follow in the footsteps of London-based Canadian designer Thomas Tait, who took the top prize last year (New York-based Hood by Air and Mumbai-based Miuniku, both runners up, each received €100,000 euros and a yearlong mentorship).

“I had a very small team of only one full-time member of staff,” said Thomas Tait of the state of his business before winning the prize. “Now I have three, which is still small and very much a challenge financially. But the results of having more hands on deck have had a direct and almost immediate effect on my brand and its commercial development.”

“I’ve been working with the [LVMH] group on opening more manufacturing channels for the brand, which has been such an eye opening experience,” Tait continued. “We are working on a number of samples with European manufacturers this season and the results are fantastic. Hopefully my sales figures will be high enough to carry on working with these new manufacturers, who are used to working with much larger brands and high volumes.”

“We worked a lot with him this year to work on the strategy of his company and also to find new suppliers for him and also new clients,” said Arnault.

Tait will show his Autumn/Winter 2015 ready-to-wear collection at London Fashion Week on Monday. “We expect a lot from this catwalk,” said Arnault.

FOR FULL ARTICLE AND LIST OF THIS YEARS CONTENDERS SEE:
http://www.businessoffashion.com/2015/02/lvmh-unveils-shortlist-prize.html